AKwelder Posted December 27, 2017 Author Posted December 27, 2017 9 hours ago, Red Flyer said: I started flying ............career. APF Wow, that was an interesting time in Alaska to be on the slope. Quote
Red Flyer Posted December 30, 2017 Posted December 30, 2017 On 12/27/2017 at 4:28 AM, AKwelder said: Wow, that was an interesting time in Alaska to be on the slope. It was kind of the Wild West. Leaving Umiat we would fly west for an hour on just a magnetic heading if we saw a light it was the cat train we were looking for. Every time the cat trains stopped they would radio in their lat and long ,we would find it on our sectional chart and then plot a heading. The magnetic variation was 29 degrees east so had to subtract that from true to get your magnetic course. If you added the magnetic heading you might end up over Canada. No GPS in those days. APF Quote
AKwelder Posted January 1, 2018 Author Posted January 1, 2018 we have made it back home, had a chance to catch up with Shawn on the return trip and he took us to a wonderful place, Me and Stew Glory road The 5 of us A plow for Troy and the guys out west the kids ride The Red Power Chariot A great visit and my pictures don't do it justice, if you get the chance stop by. and thank you Stew Quote
AKwelder Posted January 1, 2018 Author Posted January 1, 2018 We stopped by the villages on the way to the Airport, and visited the neatest town square Movie Theater board on a grain bin The whole theater was set up as a barn With a good pin up on the wall Really neat place, and may thanks to Shawn for the tour Quote
AKwelder Posted January 1, 2018 Author Posted January 1, 2018 A few more And the something I need to either build or buy Quote
New Englander Posted January 1, 2018 Posted January 1, 2018 On 12/29/2017 at 9:18 PM, Red Flyer said: It was kind of the Wild West. Leaving Umiat we would fly west for an hour on just a magnetic heading if we saw a light it was the cat train we were looking for. Every time the cat trains stopped they would radio in their lat and long ,we would find it on our sectional chart and then plot a heading. The magnetic variation was 29 degrees east so had to subtract that from true to get your magnetic course. If you added the magnetic heading you might end up over Canada. No GPS in those days. APF That's amazing DR flight, especially considering the extreme variation. The longest DR I ever did was as a young man ferrying a 206 on amphibs to Puerto Rico. It really wasn't that tough as I was on a radial until out of range of the Grand Turk VOR so the drift angle was well established. I was quite happy when the Dorado beacon came alive, though. Now it's triple flight management systems with a moving map display so even when we're in Africa we're never unsure. Some counties aren't WGS 84 so the airports are not exactly where the FMS says they are but that's pretty rare. Last year we expected to do an NDB to one of those only to find it was off the air - no NOTAM. It was clear and we found the strip OK. Locals said they needed a tube for the transmitter! Gotta love Africa. Quote
Baradium Posted January 7, 2018 Posted January 7, 2018 On 12/26/2017 at 5:17 PM, Red Flyer said: I started flying in Bethel 40 yrs ago (1978) when I was 20 yrs old. The ink was still wet on my tickets when Sea Airmotive needed someone to keep the Twin Otters co-pilots seat warm as well as be the loadmaster and fueler. January 1980 I was based in Umiat flying supplies (food ,fuel and dynamite) out to cat trains as they moved across the frozen tundra. Next year 1981 I was flying the Turbine Beaver on wheel skis doing off airport landings on the tundra and Bearing Sea ice. When I turned 23 I did my ATP check ride in the Twin Otter and became a captain on it. Besides Umiat we flew out of Barrow, Deadhorse and Barter Island. Sea Airmotive was also known as SEAIR. Logged over 5000 hrs in the State of Alaska before my airline career. APF I flew into Umiat a couple times. First time was a flag stop each way on a scheduled passenger flight FAI-BRW. Was creepy as ****, place was completely abandoned but all these buildings including a Wein Air Alaska building were standing there with occasional broken windows and partially open doors. And a gravel runway with full runway lights including a rabbit. None of it actually working of course. We dropped this scientist off by himself with a couple cases of gear like the start to a bad horror movie and told him we'd stop back by on the way back and to be sure to be there. He said he didn't want to spend the night and he'd be there but to give as long as we could if he wasn't standing there when we landed. The next trip I made through there they were doing some oil exploration based out of there and there was some decent activity, although it wasn't like the place was back to its former glory or anything. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 7, 2018 Author Posted January 7, 2018 Rode today, i will post more later, we got 30 miles in with powder the whole time, I will be sore tomorrow Quote
Baradium Posted January 7, 2018 Posted January 7, 2018 7 minutes ago, AKwelder said: Rode today, i will post more later, we got 30 miles in with powder the whole time, I will be sore tomorrow Looks like a blast! I haven't had a chance to do anything this winter at all. Been a really busy few months! Quote
AKwelder Posted January 7, 2018 Author Posted January 7, 2018 16 minutes ago, Baradium said: Looks like a blast! I haven't had a chance to do anything this winter at all. Been a really busy few months! We went out the Steese. Much closer, and nice snow Quote
poor farmer/logger Posted January 7, 2018 Posted January 7, 2018 Awesome, nice shot over the handlebars. Marginal snow at the farm here yet. Hoping to load up tomorrow and go up through the forest where we're going to be logging. Hoping I can sneak through on some of the old trails. They were completely closed in a couple years ago though so unless someones cut them open I'm afraid I wont make it the way I want to. Hopefully you'll get a few more rides in this winter yet. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 7, 2018 Author Posted January 7, 2018 Just now, poor farmer/logger said: Awesome, nice shot over the handlebars. Marginal snow at the farm here yet. Hoping to load up tomorrow and go up through the forest where we're going to be logging. Hoping I can sneak through on some of the old trails. They were completely closed in a couple years ago though so unless someones cut them open I'm afraid I wont make it the way I want to. Hopefully you'll get a few more rides in this winter yet. Best of luck tomorrow, and yes, I would li,e to ride again. Quote
New Englander Posted January 7, 2018 Posted January 7, 2018 Beautiful shot over the bars. Noontime perhaps? You must be doing lots of headlight time. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 7, 2018 Author Posted January 7, 2018 3 hours ago, New Englander said: Beautiful shot over the bars. Noontime perhaps? You must be doing lots of headlight time. About 11:00 actually, it started getting light about 10 am and we had headlights on by 4. But we are gaining 4 minutes a day. Quote
poor farmer/logger Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 Successful ride here today too. Put on just over 90 miles. Was almost to warm lol. Temps were around 34°F for most of the afternoon. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 Nice pictures logger, is that the logging roads you mentioned then? Quote
SMiller Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 3 minutes ago, AKwelder said: some more pictures 73* and sunny here tomorrow but I would trade it for a day of that right there! Looks like a blast. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 19 minutes ago, SMiller said: 73* and sunny here tomorrow but I would trade it for a day of that right there! Looks like a blast. It was wonderful, And I got to spend it with good friends, we will have to get you up here Quote
poor farmer/logger Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 I traveled through on the logging road, these pics are from some other trails that shoot off from there as well as some from the other side of the river. With the small city that had gathered to go ice fishing and had set up shacks I figured the ice must be safe lol. Looks like you guys have had a fair bit of snow. Sure looks like fun to play in. Closest I got to powder today was at the ski hill. In behind there's a bush where the snow gathers when they're making snow. was about 18 inches there. Just enough for me to lean it over far enough to end up on my side in the snow bank . Good thing no one was there to see me lol. Friends and family that I ride with are a couple hours away so I usually end up on my own on these short notice trips. I don't mind though, nice and peaceful. Just have to be careful when you're out in the bush miles from anywhere on your own. Wind was howling away pretty good today and I couldn't help but thing to myself I sure hope none of these trees break off behind me and block me in. Second pic is the block that we're going in to log. Quite a bit of blow down in it. Just a small stand. Only picture I got from that area. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 We found between 30 inches to as much as 5 feet of powder. Pretty sugary but very fun. Yes to traveling alone, be safe my friend. Quote
db1486 Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 3 hours ago, AKwelder said: some more pictures Oh all that powder is getting me excited. I wish we would get some more snow already. There's enough to ride here but alot of us ride summits, since normally by now we got 2-3' of snow. Just over a foot and wind is making a mess now. Heading to Revelstoke again in february so it wont be too bad. I've said it before, but that looks like some nice country up there. Some day I'll make it there with the sleds. Quote
AKwelder Posted January 8, 2018 Author Posted January 8, 2018 8 hours ago, db1486 said: Oh all that powder is getting me excited. I wish we would get some more snow already. There's enough to ride here but alot of us ride summits, since normally by now we got 2-3' of snow. Just over a foot and wind is making a mess now. Heading to Revelstoke again in february so it wont be too bad. I've said it before, but that looks like some nice country up there. Some day I'll make it there with the sleds. Revelstoke is on my bucket list,,please share a few pictures when you go. If if you come this way let me know, but unless your chasing the northern lights most people avoid the high north in the winter, silly buggers Quote
Delta Dirt Posted January 8, 2018 Posted January 8, 2018 Question: Is most of the snowmobile riding done on government lands. How do you differentiate gov't lands and private lands?? Needless to say we have little snow and no snowmobiles in Mississippi!! Scenic pictures-----sure looks cold!!! DD Quote
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